Dream Eater
by TrinityThatcher
Summary: Mitsunari Baba is an incubus who follows a simple creedo: never the same girl twice, never reveal his true self. He has never had much trouble following these simple rules, but as they say, the devil's in the details. (Fantasy AU)
1. Creedo

Baba Mitsunari had two rules. Two things that he would never do.  
An irredeemable creature of sin as he was, he still liked to fancy himself tasteful. He gave himself a creedo early on in his life, a set of rules he wanted to follow, but over the many years he had lived he found himself stretching them a great deal to get what he wanted. There were many things he could overlook and many things he didn't feel too strongly about, but there had always been and would always be two things he would never, ever do.

The first thing, and perhaps the most important for his livelihood, was that he would never engage a woman physically in real life. He'd heard the stories of what happened when humans and demons mated, what it created. Demons and humans did not mix well, and the children born of such a dangerous cocktail were neither human nor monster, but creatures of magic and ethereal beauty.  
Such creatures could not exist where humans could see them. The age in which demons could roam the earth freely were long over. The demon king and his council made this very clear at every opportunity.

Not to say that there weren't alternative solutions that would please everyone; human innovation had given birth to many different kinds of contraception over the centuries, and the demon realm had its own slew of potions and spells for just the same purpose. All the same, Baba found it to be so much simpler to avoid physical contact entirely. It wasn't necessary for his kind. Surely it provided much more energy for him to feed upon, and yes, it did feel _very pleasant_ , but he didn't think it worth the risk. It was such a boring way to go about it, anyways. Especially because he had the power to achieve that same carnal satisfaction without touching a woman physically at all.  
After all, being an incubus, he had the unique ability to introduce himself into a mortal's dreams.

When he was younger and had less self-control, he tired himself out laying with mortal women. There was no end of beautiful mortal creatures on Earth, but after years of the same thing over and over, it began to bore him immensely. A mortal's dreams were so much more fun. In a mortal's dreams, he could take any form he desired and bend the reality around himself to his wishes. Some nights he would find himself tall, lean and muscular with glistening skin and nimble hands, laying across silken sheets and coaxing the woman before him to let go of her inhibitions. Other times he would be dressed sharp and stately, a telescoping teacher's baton in his hand, standing in a large room filled with writing desks as the setting sun cast its fiery light on his bashful prey. He could take any form, that of beautiful men with sun-kissed skin and caramel eyes, or of women with gentle curves in all the perfect places and rosy lips that glowed against their soft expressions. It was like solving a puzzle to unlock a woman's heart, and he happened to be very good at solving puzzles.

Aside from the energy he consumed doing this, there was something pleasing about the way a mortal's face would slacken in bliss when pleasured. Baba liked to think that he was giving lonely women happy dreams rather than eating just to eat. Putting a purpose to his actions made them more interesting.  
However, there were dreams he would not take from for his own gain. That was his second rule:  
He would never consume the energy of a woman who was having a nightmare.

There were some demons he knew who would jump at the opportunity, but he found the act distasteful. He passed it off as selfishness; he simply didn't derive any enjoyment from lying with a woman who was in fear. There was nothing pleasurable about forcing a sexual act on a woman in the middle of a terrible nightmare, and honestly, he didn't want to have to live with the thought that he was a creature that would bring people pain. There were plenty of depraved demons, incubii who would wholeheartedly enjoy seeing their prey cower in fear, but for him, it pleased him more to see his prey invite him to them with arms wide open.  
He got his fair share of snickers and snide comments from other demon folk for his particular tastes, but he liked to think of himself as a connoisseur rather than a picky eater.

He had a handful of other small personal rules, things that made his life as a creature of sin easier, but none were as important as those two.

This is what he would remind himself before he set out for the night.


	2. I'll Always Love You, But

"Japan certainly does have its share of beautiful sights~"

Baba sighed in content, leaning back on his haunches, his heels pressing into the tops of his thighs as his gaze swept over the dim lights of a tiny apartment block and the courtyard that surrounded it. He'd touched down in the city just as the sun was sinking in the horizon, and had allowed himself the pleasure of watching it drop down until it was dark, taking in the pink and orange sunset as it gleamed off of tall skyscrapers and glittering city structures. There was something infinitely more satisfying about seeing these things with his own eyes in the real world as opposed to a mortal's subconscious; he could recreate the beautiful lights with a flick of his wrist, but no spell could copy the feeling of an evening breeze on one's skin or the natural glitter of glass into a dream. He could only give the impression of goosebumps, or the swaying of curtains, or the vague feeling that there was something outside the space of the dream that would never be explored but would always be there. Things like touch and taste were beyond the capacity of dreams.

Mostly.

There were some small exceptions.

His physical being was one of them.

The demon's honey-colored eyes soaked up the scene before him, the cold and empty concrete sidewalks, the speckled bricks and mulch that lined the uniform flowerbeds along the walkways, the buzzing lamp lights that stood a couple of yards apart from each other and progressed up into the courtyard of the housing complex. He had waited a good, long while just watching the lights of the windows flicker on and off, and now every window was dark and the sidewalk was empty. Sleep had washed over the complex, carrying its tenants into their dreams.  
"And lucky me, too~" Baba hummed to himself, "it's female-only housing. No need to pick at my food tonight~"  
The demon stood and stretched up onto his toes, locking his fingers and holding them high above his head. His thin whip of a tail straightened, curling up and stretching with the rest of his body. After a moment, he gave a satisfied sigh, rolling his head from side to side and letting the leathery wings on his back unfold and flutter with the breeze.

"I wonder where I should go first, though. Top to bottom? Or the other way around? Maybe I should keep to the top floor for now, until I get used to this place. Juuuuuust in case~" he sung under his breath. Keeping to the roof, where it was darkest, would be safest for himself, he thought; he was less likely to be seen by a woman burning the midnight oil if he stuck to the shadows.

Soundlessly, he reared back and launched himself from his perch, floating through the air and landing on the metacarpal pads of his paws atop a lamp post, which ominously flickered and burnt out when he steadied himself. He hopped from post to post, biting back mischievous giggles as each lamp flickered as he touched it, and became bright again as soon as he left it. Electronics in the human world were hopelessly weak to magical presence. It was such a pain, but then, also a bit entertaining. It was as if the human world was trying to reject him, and warn the helpless women asleep in their beds of his dangerous presence. The effort was comical, almost cute.

With a graceful stretch of his limbs, he leapt from a post to the edge of the roof atop the east wing of the complex, skittering easily against the teak-colored shingles. After taking a second to make sure no one was outside, not in the courtyard, not on the balconies, not out near the streets, he poked his head over the edge of the roof and looked for a darkened window.

The very first apartment, sitting right on the edge of the building nearest to the road, had a simple balcony with a clothes line and a rocking chair. Baba took quick note of the powder-blue uniform dress drying on the wire, embroidered with a silver "Tres Spades" on the right breast.  
"Mmm, so this is a pink-collar type of place…." he murmured to himself. "Then, they should be exhausted after all their hard work. I'll have to give them extra-wonderful dreams~"  
He slipped off of the roof, landing on the pads of his paws on the balcony of the first apartment. With a flick of his fingers, the balcony door opened with a quiet whirr, granting him access to the warm living space within.  
"I'll be letting myself in, darling~ Hope you don't mind~!" He whispered to himself.

The pads of his paws muffled his movements as he tiptoed through the kitchenette, not pausing until he could plainly see the warm glow of a bedside lamp just beyond the main entryway. He stopped, listening carefully for signs of life, and only heard the sounds of quiet breathing. Just in case, he bowed his head low and slowly, very slowly, peeked around the corner of the wall.

It seemed like a very small, efficiency-type apartment, with a bathroom crammed into the tiny space between the kitchenette and entrance, and one open living space. A cheap wooden futon was placed against the far wall, and in it, curled under the off-white covers and sleeping soundly, was a young woman.  
Baba smiled softly, quietly stepping out into the living space and floating over to the woman's bedside. She looked to be no more than 25 years of age, with long brunette hair and straight-cut bangs. Her skin was milky and pale, but looked soft to the touch, no wear or lack of sleep to be seen. If he had to put a descriptor to her, he would say that she had a cold, almost unnatural kind of beauty.  
The woman mumbled something, bringing the edge of her covers up to her chin and humming in her sleep, her expression ever peaceful. The demon leaned down, gently brushing her bangs from her brow with delicate claws.  
"What a lovely lady you are, sleeping so soundly~" he purred, drinking in her sleeping face. "I wonder what you're dreaming of, dear? Should I find out, heehee~?"  
Grinning from ear to ear, he pressed his forehead against hers, slipping his palm over her smooth cheek. "That's a rhetorical question, of course. I'm going to anyways~"

He closed his eyes, focusing on the focal point of their brows, imagining his energy seeping through his skin and melting into hers. He felt his physical being slipping into thin air, swirling like sand carried on a desert breeze…

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a brightly-lit, richly decorated hotel suite. The carpet under his polished shoes was deep red, like wine, and plush. Almost every wall was made entirely of glass, the city lights beyond them nothing but a blur of dots and towers without definite shape. A beautiful chandelier hung from the high ceiling, glittering brilliantly under low light. All around him were tables with elegant white covers, wait staff shuttling platters of champagne and hors d'ouvres, and people in suits and cocktail dresses mingling quietly with each other over soft piano music.  
He looked down at himself, smiling at the pressed pantsuit on his person. He looked very professional in black and grey, even with the lilac button-up underneath it all. He noticed that he was lacking in a tie, but decided that it must be missing for a reason. Perhaps he was supposed to have a mildly professional, youthful sort of look. The heart wanted what the heart wanted, after all.

And speaking of the heart…

He glanced around the room until his eyes locked on her, the woman whose dreams he was occupying. She stood at the far end of the room dressed in an elegant deep-blue gown, her hair tied back in a ponytail, her hands folded neatly in front of her, her face alight with a gentle smile. Someone would approach her for a greeting every once in a while, shake her ivory-gloved hand, and bow away.  
Her eyes shifted, and by chance caught his as he watched her. He could see her cheeks tinge with a delicate blush before she bit her lip and bowed her head, looking away.  
"Oho, what do we have here? Am I somebody's secret crush?" he murmured to himself.  
He took smooth steps toward her, feeling the world around him start to slow. She was expecting him to come to her. Was this a familiar dream of hers? She seemed so in control of herself, he mused.

A young man in a grey suit floated by the woman, patting her gently on the shoulder as Baba approached. He heard the man congratulate her, telling her she deserved every bit of what she had worked so hard for.  
"We're all so glad to have such a hardworking individual as yourself become our general manager, miss Erika." The man concluded with a kind smile. She laughed softly, her eyes narrowing in content.  
"I'm glad you think so~ The money is nice, but I truly do love this business, and I want to be a crucial part of it flourishing!" she lilted.  
"Ah, I wish the other maids understood that and worked as hard as you do, Erika!" the man praised, earning a giggle from the already flattered young woman.  
"Well, we can't all have the same work ethic, can we? The world takes all kinds."

With this, the man nodded and took his leave, joining the murmur of voices beyond her immediate area. Baba took this as his cue to enter; picking up a flute of champagne from a nearby table, he ambled up to the woman, an easy smile gracing his lips.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Miss…. Erika?"  
The woman's head tilted amiably, her expression confident and calm as could be. "Mister Eisuke! What a pleasure to see you, sir! I wasn't aware that you would be attending this little office party. I'm sure you have much more important places to be…."

So it was "mister" Eisuke, was it? Baba shook his head, his eyes softening. "Even someone like me can find the time to pop in to events such as these. And I would hardly call this unimportant." He tilted his champagne flute to her. "I've heard that you've just been promoted, miss Erika. It couldn't have gone to a more deserving person."  
Erika blushed, putting the knuckle of her pointer finger delicately to her lips. "Mister Eisuke, you flatter me~ I never would have dreamed that the CEO himself would deign to offer his congratulations to a lowly general manager~"  
"Lowly is not a word I would use, either." He spoke, his words smooth and sweet. "I don't give out promotions to just anyone. Your position was earned. I am glad that I can put my trust in you."  
"Oh, mister Eisuke….."  
Her thick eyelashes fluttered, and her expression clouded momentarily with something that was all too familiar to the incubus. Smirking to himself, he set down his drink on the table behind the woman, gesturing with his hand.  
"May I have a dance, miss General Manager?"  
The woman giggled, offering her gloved hand to him, which he took swiftly, pulling her gently along with him. "Why, yes, sir, you may~"  
All eyes were suddenly on the duo as he led her to the center of the room, his hand pressed gently into the silk of her glove. They stopped for a moment to ready themselves, his free hand on her hip and hers against his broad shoulder.  
"I'm afraid we may not have adequate room for a waltz," Baba murmured, "So, will a two-step suffice?"  
"I'll dance anything you want~" the woman purred, smiling coquettishly.

They swayed gently with the music, never really moving from their small space. The room became dimmer, couples suddenly floating up and swaying along off-tempo.  
"I must make a confession…." Baba whispered, leaning down to breathe his words against the shell of her ear. He felt her shiver, biting back a self-satisfied smirk.  
"This is most certainly not the first time I have sought you out, miss Erika. Truthfully…. I have seen you and how hard you work for my hotel. You caught my interest with your determination and strong heart. And now, I find that... I cannot look away from you….."  
Her feet stopped then, and she pulled away to look into his eyes, her own expression dreamy, and delicately flushed. "Mister Eisuke…. I… I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing. You can answer me with this….."

He swept his head downward just as the music reached a crescendo, and their lips met briefly, more of a taste than a real kiss. He felt her gasp, her breath stuttering, but she did not pull away. Her head tilted forward, seeking him again.

 _And now I have you, hook, line and sinker~_

The second kiss was fuller, stronger, smooth on his part and eager on hers. When they parted again, her fingers had curled into the lapel of his suit, her breath whetting his lips.

"Mister Eisuke….."

He smirked, nudging their noses together affectionately. "I think we should take this to a different room, miss Erika. I wouldn't want you to be embarrassed in front of all these people…"  
He looked up from the impassioned girl before him to glance around the room, wanting to laugh at how all of the people seemed to have lost their faces. Detail was starting to fade from the room rapidly, all by her doing; she was losing interest in this setting in lieu of something very different.

"The penthouse. My room. Why don't we… visit it?" He offered.

The room seemed to fade as they stepped back, his hand gently leading her by the small of her back to the exit door. He took one look back as they passed through it, watching the lights and the people and all of the elegant décor melt and slosh together into a canvas of colors.  
"Mister Eisuke…"  
Her low whisper brought his attention back to their destination, and without another thought to it, he snapped his fingers and closed the door, leaving the party behind them.

It seemed that the next part would take a little more work on his part. They found themselves in a wide expanse of a bedroom, lush and dimly lit, but the detail left much to be desired. It was obvious that the girl had never actually been to her boss' penthouse suite before. Pure imagination had taken her this far.

It was no great effort for him, of course; with a wave of his hand, the blurry walls became beige wallpaper and gold borders, lavish mirrors and mahogany furniture. The room was lit with a warm lamplight glow, the bed dressed in silk sheets and piles of fluffy pillows. Beams of moonlight shone in from the sole window in the room, casting its pale light over the right side of the bed. It was a suite fit for a king…. Rather, for a queen, and her chosen prince.

He wasted no time, bringing her to his chest to kiss her once again, and the new setting seemed to light a fire in his prey. Her mouth was eager against his, touching all that she could until her lips were swollen and her lipstick tinted his mouth a pastel pink. He returned her affection in powerful movements, overwhelming her excited touches with slower, deeper ones of his own. Being overpowered by him only seemed to make her more excited; he chuckled breathily as she began to press open-mouthed kisses to the corners of his lips, a silent plea for more.  
His hands swept up the ridge of her spine, drawing a shudder from her petite body as his fingers pressed into bare skin. The zipper of her dress sat at the middle of her back, and it was quickly opened, the dress shrugged from her shoulders and left at her feet. She gasped in delight as he swept her up in his arms, carrying her the short distance to the bed and gently laying her down atop the silken sheets.

"Please…. Mister Eisuke…."

He took a second to drink in her vulnerable form, limbs strewn lazily about her, her skin flushed from her ears down her slim neck, her pretty pink lips parted just so. Everything in her expression, from her eyes to her bashful smile, spoke of longing and desire.  
"I've always wanted you…. I've always only watched you from afar…. Even if this was a dream, I would never want to wake up again…."

Baba's lips curled into an impish smirk as his hands traipsed over ther bare skin of her stomache, drawing a wanton sigh from her dizzied self. He leanded his head down, presseing a gentle kiss to the swell of her breasts.

"And I would have the same, dearest~" he purred.


End file.
